HM Payson & Co. Raises Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 201,521 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,933 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $61,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,331,031 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $20,840,787,000 after buying an additional 921,936 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,175,800,000 after buying an additional 272,139 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,901,595,000 after buying an additional 276,065 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

More McDonald’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights McDonald’s restaurant margin dollars topping $4B in Q3 2025, arguing the company’s scale and value strategy can still expand margins despite inflation and a pressured consumer — a direct bullish signal for profit leverage. Does McDonald’s $4B Margin Milestone Signal Model Durability?
• Positive Sentiment: Reporting says McDonald’s plans over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades — if executed, that accelerates franchised development fees, systemwide sales growth and long-term comp growth. McDonald’s 2026 expansion plans: Over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades coming
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of planned drive-thru and in-restaurant changes for 2026 suggests operational improvements (speed, order accuracy, upsell) that can lift throughput and margins at scale. 4 changes coming to McDonald’s drive-thrus in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s Disney Happy Meal promotion and holiday menu/availability stories are routine marketing/seasonal items that support short-term traffic but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. How long will Disney Happy Meal be available at McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets covered McDonald’s being open on Christmas and customer-facing changes for 2026 — background consumer-facing news that maintains brand visibility but has limited near-term EPS impact. 10 changes coming to McDonald’s in 2026 that customers need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: A playful Dogecoin tweet calling out businesses that don’t accept DOGE is social-media noise rather than a catalyst for material payment adoption or revenue change. Dogecoin Account Wants You To Tag ‘Naughty’ Businesses That Won’t Take The Good Boy
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that a Minneapolis location locked doors to keep out individuals deemed a safety risk raise operational and reputational concerns in specific markets; localized safety issues can pressure sales and require extra store-level costs. McDonald’s locks doors to keep out individuals who present a risk in crime-ridden Minneapolis area
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering macro/near-term pressure: McDonald’s last quarterly report (Nov 5) showed a slight EPS and revenue miss, which remains a selling point for investors awaiting clearer margin/growth guidance.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $310.61 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $308.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.10. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.86 dividend. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $324.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.